Philadelphia Eagles

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The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team has won three NFL titles and has two Super Bowl appearances.

The Eagles, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the now-defunct Cincinnati Reds football team, joined the NFL as 1933 expansion teams. The team is regarded as a second incarnation of the defunct NFL team Frankford Yellow Jackets, who folded two years earlier due to financial hardships brought on by the Great Depression.

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Franchise history

Template:Details

Image:PhilEagles.gif In 1931, Philadelphia's representative in the National Football League, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, went bankrupt and ceased operations midway through the season. After more than a year searching for a suitable replacement, the NFL awarded its dormant Philadelphia franchise to a syndicate headed by former Yellow Jackets owners Bert Bell and Lud Wray, in exchange for an entry fee of $2,500. Drawing their inspiration for their name from the insignia of the centerpiece of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, the National Recovery Act, Bell and Wray named the new franchise the Philadelphia Eagles. (Neither the Eagles nor the NFL officially regard the two franchises as the same, citing the aforementioned period of dormancy; furthermore, almost no Yellowjacket players were on the Eagles' first roster. Some observers, however, believe the two teams should be treated as one.)

The Eagles struggled over the course of their first decade, enduring repeated losing seasons. In 1943, when manpower shortages stemming from World War II made it impossible to fill the roster, the team temporarily merged with the Pittsburgh Steelers to form a team known as "the Phil-Pitt Steagles." (The merger, never intended as a permanent arrangement, was dissolved at the end of the 1943 season.) By the late 1940s, head coach Greasy Neale and running back Steve Van Buren led the team to three consecutive NFL Championship Games, winning two of them in 1948 and 1949.

The Eagles won their third NFL championship in 1960 under the leadership of future Pro Football Hall of Famers Norm Van Brocklin and Chuck Bednarik. But they would not qualify for the postseason again until the late 1970s-early 1980s when head coach Dick Vermeil and quarterback Ron Jaworski led the team to four consecutive playoff appearances, including a Super Bowl XV loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Philadelphia then struggled throughout the mid-1980s. But from 1988 to 1996, they qualified for the playoffs during 6 out of those 9 seasons. Among the team's offensive stars during that period were quarterback Randall Cunningham, tight end Keith Jackson, and running back Keith Byars. But the defense is what defined the team, led by Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner, Wes Hopkins, and Andre Waters.

In 1999, the Eagles hired head coach Andy Reid and drafted quarterback Donovan McNabb. Under Reid and McNabb, the team played in four consecutive conference championship games between 2001 and 2004. But the Eagles only advanced to Super Bowl XXXIX, where they were defeated by the New England Patriots.




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Fight Song

Image:PhiladelphiaEaglesOld1.png Eagles fans will sing the team fight song with little to no provocation, but always sing it following an Eagles touchdown. The lyrics are as follows:

Fly, Eagles Fly, on the road to victory!

(FIGHT!!, FIGHT!!, FIGHT!!)

Fight, Eagles Fight, score a touchdown one-two-three!

(ONE!!, TWO!!, THREE!!)

Hit'em low, hit'em high, and watch our Eagles fly!

Fly, Eagles Fly, on the road to victory!

E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!

The fight song was reputedly the creation of former owner Jerry Wolman's daughter, who, impressed by the "war chant" of the rival Washington Redskins, implored her father to play an Eagle equivalent during Eagles games. With the eventual sale of the team and move to Veterans Stadium, the fight song was largely forgotten, although a few die-hards could be heard singing the lyrics on special occasions. That it was ultimately brought back to such popular acclaim is testament to the vision of Jeffrey Lurie, whose regime reinstated the practice of playing the song over stadium loudspeakers (with a modern addition of projecting the lyrics on the scoreboard) after Eagle touchdowns. The song is now ubiquitous wherever Eagle fans are found. The song has been heard at Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Flyers, and Philadelphia 76ers games, and even at the Philadelphia Live 8 concert prior to the show. The song is sometimes sung with a slight modification, especially on local radio, in which the lyrics "watch our Eagles fly!" are replaced with "watch those [upcoming opposing team's name] cry!" (e.g. "watch those Cowboys cry!").

Interestingly, the Lurie revival was accompanied by a slight adjustment of the lyrics. Originally, the second line of the song was:

"Fight, Green and White, score a touchdown, one-two-three!"

With Lurie's modernization of team uniforms, however, and the new emphasis on Black and Silver, the mention of the traditional colors was omitted. Few noticed.

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Broadcasters

Bill Campbell was the longtime radio voice of the Eagles, and broadcast their 1960 NFL Championship. Merrill Reese has been the radio voice of the Eagles since 1977. He is currently complemented by the color commentary of former Eagle wide receiver Mike Quick, perhaps best noted for his unique turns of phrase (e.g., "McNABB-ulous!"). Before Quick, Reese's sidekick was Stan Walters, a former Eagles offensive lineman.

Eagles games are heard in the greater Philadelphia area on 94.1 Free FM WYSP. Fairly unique among football fans, many Eagles fans so prefer Reese's radio broadcasts of the game that they mute their televisions and watch the game while listening to the WYSP radio broadcasts of the game.

Reese's January, 2005 play-by-play broadcast of the final minute of the Eagles' defeat of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game, which sent the Eagles to the 2005 Super Bowl, is among the most frequently replayed sports radio broadcast segments of the past decade.

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Fan Behavior

Template:Unreferencedsect Eagles fans' devotion to the Eagles is reflected by team ticket sales: games are invariably sold-out, and there is a 60,000-member waiting list for season tickets.

Poor judgment and alcohol have occasionally led some Eagles fans to transgress the boundaries of civilized behavior. Such behavior is familiar to many who have attended professional sporting events virtually anywhere in the world, but Eagles fans have had the misfortune to misbehave in numerous high profile moments, many on national television. As such, Eagles fans have a reputation in many quarters as being unduly rowdy, or even dangerous.

The most (in)famous example of fan impropriety at Eagles games is the so-called "Santa Claus Incident," on December 15, 1968, at Franklin Field in a 24-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, in which angry fans, furious at the conclusion of yet another wasted season under head coach Joe Kuharich (including losing their first 11 games, then winning the next two, preventing the team from getting the first pick in the next year's draft, O.J. Simpson), booed and threw snowballs at a man dressed as Santa Claus during the halftime show.<ref name=usatoday-snowball>{{cite news 

 | first=Gary 
 | last=Mihoces
 | url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/eagles/2003-11-27-santa-snowballs_x.htm
 | title=Santa snowball incident shrouded in myth
 | publisher=USA Today
 | date=2003-11-27
 | accessdate=2006-03-29

}}</ref>

Frank Olivo, a 19 year-old that fan dressed as Santa Claus who had been drafted from the stands as an ad hoc replacement for the scheduled Christmas pageant, was the target of the crowd's anger.<ref name=usatoday-snowball /> As Olivo recounts, fans threw snowballs at him after he reached the end zone, shouting that he made a poor Santa. Olivo, in turn, pointed to a culprit, instructing them that they'd have empty stockings that Christmas.Template:Fact This led to more snowballs. Subsequently, a legend was born.

Other high profile examples of bad fan behavior include:

  • During a November 10, 1997 Monday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers, which the Eagles loss 24-12, the Eagle fans, infuriated by a series of calls by the officials and poor play by the Eagles, engaged in a number of highly visible, large-scale brawls on national television. In the last quarter, one fan fired a flare gun across the stadium into empty seats in the 700 level. Shortly thereafter, the infamous Veteren's Stadium courtroom was established.<ref>{{cite news 
 | url=http://www.cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/5841176
 | title= Eagles, Giants Play Last Monday Night Game Veterans Stadium 
 | publisher=Associated Press
 | date=October 22, 2002
 | accessdate=2006-03-27

}}</ref>

  • A contingent of Eagles fans traveled to the 1999 NFL Draft in New York for the sole purpose of jeering the Eagles selecting anyone other than Heisman Trophy winning running back Ricky Williams. Local radio hosts had recruited the boorishly behaving crew to protest the selection, which turned out to be future Pro-Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb. McNabb stayed composed during the incident, and the thirty or so fans who booed him were subsequently derided as the "Dirty Thirty," while the radio hosts in question were widely criticized for their roles as instigators. McNabb has since become one of Philadelphia's most beloved sports icons.
  • During a October 10, 1999 game against the division rival Dallas Cowboys, Cowboys wide receiver (and bete noire of Eagle fans) Michael Irvin was knocked unconscious when his head was driven into Philadelphia's hard turf-covered cement field after a catch. As Irvin lay prostrate and immobile on the turf, some Eagles fans cheered the injury. Irvin was ultimately diagnosed with a broken neck, and the injury ended his career. In that game, the Eagles rallied from a 10-0 deficit to earned their first victory of the season, 13-10.<ref>{{cite news 
 | url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/news/1999/10/10/cowboys_eagles_ap/
 | title= Where Eagles fly: Eagles overcome inept offense to upset Cowboys
 | publisher=Associated Press
 | date=October 14, 1999
 | accessdate=2006-03-27

}}</ref>

  • During a December 10, 1989 game in a 20-10 victory against the Dallas Cowboys, the city failed to clear the stadium following a snowstorm. Fans threw snowballs, iceballs and more onto the field, pelting Cowboys players and coaching staff, NFL officials, and one another. Future Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell got caught up in the fallout from that game when he admitted to a reporter that he had bet another fan $20 that the fan couldn't reach the field with a snowball.<ref>{{cite web 
| last = Paolantonio
| first = Sal
| year = December 12, 2002
| url = http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/paolantonio_sal/1476046.html
| title = Eagles preparing to leave Veterans Stadium
| publisher = ESPN.com
| accessdate = 2006-03-31

}} </ref> As a result, the team added security and banned beer sales for their last remaining home game of the regular season. Template:Fact

Acts of violence by Eagles fans against fans of visiting teams, combined with ongoing difficulties relating to public drunkenness, prompted Philadelphia municipal judge Seamus McCaffrey and the Philadelphia Police Department to establish a small, in-stadium courtroom at the Vet in 1997. Additionally, plainclothes officers, dressed in the colors of the visiting team, dispatched to sit in sections known as being dangerous to opposing fans, most such sections being located in the Vet's notorious "700 Level" at the top of the stadium. The success of the program was widely noted and has continued to the present day (Lincoln Financial Field includes a built-in prison facility and courtroom for such purposes). Eagle fans caught by such sting operations are arrested, charged and taken to the courtroom, where McCaffrey usually sits in judgment. Such efforts have made the inside of the stadium much safer for opposing fans than was previously the case.

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Season-by-season records

Template:Start NFL SBS |- | colspan="6" align="center" | Philadelphia Eagles |- |1933 || 3 || 5 || 1 || 4th NFL East || -- |- |1934 || 4 || 7 || 0 || T-3rd NFL East || -- |- |1935 || 2 || 9 || 0 || 5th NFL East || -- |- |1936 || 1 || 11 || 0 || 5th NFL East || -- |- |1937 || 2 || 8 || 1 || 5th NFL East || -- |- |1938 || 5 || 6 || 0 || 4th NFL East || -- |- |1939 || 1 || 9 || 1 || T-4th NFL East || -- |- |1940 || 1 || 10 || 0 || 5th NFL East || -- |- |1941 || 2 || 8 || 1 || 4th NFL East || -- |- |1942 || 2 || 9 || 0 || 5th NFL East || -- |- | colspan="6" align="center" | Steagles |- |1943 || 5 || 4 || 1 || 3rd NFL East || -- |- | colspan="6" align="center" | Philadelphia Eagles |- |1944 || 7 || 1 || 2 || 2nd NFL East || -- |- |1945 || 7 || 3 || 0 || 2nd NFL East || -- |- |1946 || 6 || 5 || 0 || 2nd NFL East || -- |- |1947 || 8 || 4 || 0 || 1st NFL East || Won Eastern Divisional Playoff (Steelers)
Lost NFL Championship (Cardinals) |- |1948 || 9 || 2 || 1 || 1st NFL East || Won NFL Championship (Cardinals) |- |1949 || 11 || 1 || 0 || 1st NFL East || Won NFL Championship (Rams) |- |1950 || 6 || 6 || 0 || T-3rd NFL AFC || -- |- |1951 || 4 || 8 || 0 || 5th NFL AFC || -- |- |1952 || 7 || 5 || 0 || T-2nd NFL AFC || -- |- |1953 || 7 || 4 || 1 || 2nd NFL East || -- |- |1954 || 7 || 4 || 1 || 2nd NFL East || -- |- |1955 || 4 || 7 || 1 || T-4th NFL East || -- |- |1956 || 3 || 8 || 1 || 6th NFL East || -- |- |1957 || 4 || 8 || 0 || 5th NFL East || -- |- |1958 || 2 || 9 || 1 || T-5th NFL East || -- |- |1959 || 7 || 5 || 0 || T-2nd NFL East || -- |- |1960 || 10 || 2 || 0 || 1st NFL East || Won NFL Championship (Packers) |- |1961 || 10 || 4 || 0 || 2nd NFL East || -- |- |1962 || 3 || 10 || 1 || 7th NFL East || -- |- |1963 || 2 || 10 || 2 || 7th NFL East || -- |- |1964 || 6 || 8 || 0 || T-3rd NFL East || -- |- |1965 || 5 || 9 || 0 || T-5th NFL East || -- |- |1966 || 9 || 5 || 0 || T-2nd NFL East || -- |- |1967 || 6 || 7 || 1 || 2nd NFL Capitol || -- |- |1968 || 2 || 12 || 0 || 4th NFL Capitol || -- |- |1969 || 4 || 9 || 1 || 4th NFL Capitol || -- |- |1970 || 3 || 10 || 1 || 5th NFC East || -- |- |1971 || 6 || 7 || 1 || 3rd NFC East || -- |- |1972 || 2 || 11 || 1 || 5th NFC East || -- |- |1973 || 5 || 8 || 1 || 3rd NFC East || -- |- |1974 || 7 || 7 || 0 || 4th NFC East || -- |- |1975 || 4 || 10 || 0 || 5th NFC East || -- |- |1976 || 4 || 10 || 0 || 4th NFC East || -- |- |1977 || 5 || 9 || 0 || 4th NFC East || -- |- |1978 || 9 || 7 || 0 || 2nd NFC East || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Falcons) |- |1979 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 2nd NFC East || Won Wild Card Playoffs (Bears)
Lost Divisional Playoffs (Buccaneers) |- |1980 || 12 || 4 || 0 || 1st NFC East || Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings)
Won Conference Championship (Cowboys)
Lost Super Bowl XV (Raiders) |- |1981 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NFC East || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Giants) |- |1982 || 3 || 6 || 0 || 13th NFC Conf. || -- |- |1983 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 4th NFC East || -- |- |1984 || 6 || 9 || 1 || 5th NFC East || -- |- |1985 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 4th NFC East || -- |- |1986 || 5 || 10 || 1 || 4th NFC East || -- |- |1987 || 7 || 8 || 0 || 4th NFC East || -- |- |1988 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 1st NFC East || Lost Divisional Playoffs (Bears) |- |1989 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 2nd NFC East || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Rams) |- |1990 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NFC East || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Redskins) |- |1991 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 3rd NFC East || -- |- |1992 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 2nd NFC East || Won Wild Card Playoffs (Saints)
Lost Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys) |- |1993 || 8 || 8 || 0 || 3rd NFC East || -- |- |1994 || 7 || 9 || 0 || 4th NFC East || -- |- |1995 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NFC East || Won Wild Card Playoffs (Lions)
Lost Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys) |- |1996 || 10 || 6 || 0 || 2nd NFC East || Lost Wild Card Playoffs (49ers) |- |1997 || 6 || 9 || 1 || 3rd NFC East || -- |- |1998 || 3 || 13 || 0 || 5th NFC East || -- |- |1999 || 5 || 11 || 0 || 5th NFC East || -- |- |2000 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 2nd NFC East || Won Wild Card Playoffs (Buccaneers)
Lost Divisional Playoffs (Giants) |- |2001 || 11 || 5 || 0 || 1st NFC East || Won Wild Card Playoffs (Buccaneers)
Won Divisional Playoffs (Bears)
Lost Conference Championship (Rams) |- |2002 || 12 || 4 || 0 || 1st NFC East || Won Divisional Playoffs (Falcons)
Lost Conference Championship (Buccaneers) |- |2003 || 12 || 4 || 0 || 1st NFC East || Won Divisional Playoffs (Packers)
Lost Conference Championship (Panthers) |- |2004 || 13 || 3 || 0 || 1st NFC East || Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings)
Won Conference Championship (Falcons)
Lost Super Bowl XXXIX (Patriots) |- |2005 || 6 || 10 || 0 || 4th NFC East || -- |- !Totals || 477 || 526 || 25 |colspan="2"| (including NFL playoffs) Template:End box

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Players of note

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Current players

Template:Philadelphia Eagles roster

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Pro Football Hall of Famers

Image:PhiladelphiaEaglesOld2.png

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Retired numbers

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Eagles Honor Roll

In 1987, the Eagles Honor Roll was established. Each Eagle player who had by then been elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was among the inaugural induction class.

Despite having his number 70 retired, Al Wistert has not been inducted into the Eagles Honor Roll.

Bednarik, Bell, Pihos, Van Buren, McDonald and broadcaster Bill Campbell have also been inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.

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Not to be forgotten

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Head coaches

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Current Staff

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Notes

<references/>

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External links

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